Chinese surveillance aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles have been conducting reconnaissance flights around the Philippine Sea and off the coast of Taiwan over the past few days, according to releases by Japan’s Joint Staff Office.
Meanwhile destroyers from the Japan-based Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 and Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) have been conducting drills with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyers.
On Tuesday the JSO issued a release stating that in the morning and afternoon of that day, a Chinese Y-9 Maritime Patrol Aircraft flew in from the East China Sea and the flew through the airspace between Miyako Island and Okinawa to enter the Philippine Sea.
The release added that on Tuesday afternoon as well, a presumed Chinese UAV was confirmed to have flown from the East China Sea, passed between Japan’s Yonaguni Island and Taiwan, and reached the Philippine Sea. A map included with the release showed the flight path of the UAV running parallel to the entire length of Taiwan’s east coast.
Fighter aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Southwestern Air Defense Command were scrambled, according to the release, which also included a photo of the Y-9 MPA taken from an intercepting fighter.
The JSO had earlier also issued releases on Thursday and Sunday on the activities of Chinese surveillance aircraft and UAVs with Thursday’s release stating that in the morning of that day, a Chinese Y-9 electronic intelligence flew in from the East China Sea and passed between Miyako Island and Okinawa to enter the Philippine Sea where it then flew in a circuit before returning back to the East China Sea the same way.
The release also stated that from the morning and afternoon of that day, a Chinese TB-001 reconnaissance/attack UAV flew in from the East China Sea, passed between Okinawa and Miyako Island and flew south of Okinawa to the southeast of Tokuno Island and then turned back to return to the East China Sea.
A Chinese Wing Loong II UAV also flew in from the East China Sea on Thursday, according to the release, the UAV flew between Okinawa and Miyako Island to enter the Philippine Sea, then flew parallel to the coast of Okinawa before turning back and flying between Okinawa and Miyako Island to return to the East China Sea.
In all three instances, fighter aircraft of the JASDF Southwestern Air Defence Command were scrambled, according to the release, which included photos of the Y-9 and both UAVs taken by the intercepting fighters.
Sunday’s JSO release stated that in the morning that day a presumed Chinese UAV flew in from the Philippine Sea, passed between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan, and reached the East China Sea. The release added that the JASDF Southwestern Air Defense Command scrambled fighter aircraft in response. A map issued with the release showed that the UAV flew in a circuit over the Philippine Sea before heading towards the East China Sea.
On Apr. 4, Japan Defense Minister Gen Nakatani stated that Chinese military activities around Japan had been increasing and that the rise in flights of Chinese UAVs around Japan are related to the increase in China’s military activities. He also stated that the Ministry of Defense will take all possible measures to ensure vigilance and surveillance, and will also take all possible measures to counter airspace violations under international law and the Self-Defense Forces Act.
Japan maintains an Air Defense Identification Zone which spans most of its Exclusive Economic Zone with JASDF fighter aircraft being scrambled in response to perceived threat aircraft entering the area. Neither China nor Russia recognizes the ADIZ and routinely operates within it. The bulk of China’s flights in Japan’s ADIZ are concentrated around Japan’s southwest islands. The rise in China’s military activities around the southwest islands is mainly linked to China’s intention to execute a total encirclement and blockade of Taiwan, if required, with a number of military exercises having being held to simulate such, which in turn results in Chinese navy ships and military aircraft passing through Japan’s southwest region while exiting from the East China Sea to take up positions in the Phillippine Sea waters near Taiwan.
Meanwhile U.S. destroyers have been drilling with their JMSDF counterparts, a Monday release by the JMSDF stated that from Apr. 7 to Friday, in the waters of the Pacific Ocean and Philippine Sea from Yokosuka to east of Okinawa, destroyer JS Ashigara (DDG-178) drilled with U.S. Navy destroyers USS Benfold (DDG-65), USS Milius (DDG-69), USS Shoup (DDG-86) and USS Dewey (DDG-105) and dry cargo ship USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE-7). The release stated that the ships carried out tactical exercises such as Anti-Air Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare Exercise, Electronic Warfare Exercise, Anti-Air Missile Exercise and Replenishment at Sea. The four U.S. Navy destroyers are part Dof ESRON 15, forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.
On Sunday, destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54), part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) carried out bilateral operations with JMSDF destroyer JS Ariake (DD-109) in the Philippine Sea, according to a Pentagon imagery release. Ariake had just wrapped up on Friday its surveillance of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Shandong CSG when the PLAN CSG was operating in the Philippine Sea from Apr. 23 with Ariake completing its watch when the Shandong CSG sailed back into the South China Sea on Friday.
